Webb’s Awakening

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) is described as “a fiery and cerebral Democrat.” Fiery definitely, cerebral now that’s doubtful. Unless it’s cerebral to threaten to punch the president just for asking how your son is doing in Iraq. Or is it cerebral to give your assistant your gun to take inside the Capitol building especially after 9/11? Actually, Webb is more like a “cerebral hemorrhage” Democrat.

Definitely, if he were a Republican, the DNC media would have already made mince meat of him. Another applicable nickname for Webb would be “Senator Who.” In fact, he’s been a perfect member of the “do-nothing good” Democrat congress run amok. But now Webb’s on the move.

Apparently, he’s finally found a purpose in the US Senate, or maybe his poll numbers show that just opposing the Iraq War won’t be good enough to get him reelected. Webb is going to reform (i.e. undo) the mean, over-crowded and expensive US prison system making it more “humane and cost efficient.” Excellent Jim, this is definitely a job for someone who belongs on the inside.

Actually, Webb has been in prison, just not as a prisoner. He was a journalist (apparently, anyone can be one these days) writing an article about Ed Arnett, an American who spent two years in Fuchu Prison for marijuana possession. Webb described harsh conditions where Arnett laboring in solitary confinement got frostbite making paper bags.

Oh, the cruelty of it all, yet Webb wrote that Arnett preferred Japan’s prison system because it’s fair. Yeah, all the prisoners got frostbite while doing hard labor.

Some Democrats are trying to put the best face on Webb’s independent streak like state Senator J. Chapman Petersen (D-Fairfax). He said, “It’s perceived as a great political sin to represent any position besides 'lock 'em up and throw the key away. With Jim's personality, he's never going to strike somebody as being soft on crime... For that reason, he might be better able to lead this cause. He’s a pretty tough guy.” Yeah, just ask any politician who’s ever crossed paths with him.

But, state Senator Ken Cuccinelli II (R-Fairfax) and with a fairer view of the situation said Webb’s initiative is probably “out of line” with Virginian priorities but not all that surprising for Webb. This senator, Cuccinelli said, “is more emotion than brain in terms of what leads his agenda.” Yeah, physiologists call it a borderline personality disorder.

Then, there’s Webb himself, direct from the horse’s mouth, “I enjoy grabbing hold of really complex issues (like President Bush) and boiling them (him) down in a way that they (he) can be understood (kicked with my boot).

And, he continued, “The criminal justice system is broken, unfair, locking up the wrong people in many cases and not locking up the right person in many cases.” Webb is a likely candidate for that latter case.

From Webb’s website, he espouses, “I am committed to working on a solution that is both responsive to our needs for law and order, and fairer to those ensnared by this system.” Wouldn’t that be, “Those prosecuted by the system, James?” Anyway, Webb launches into the same complaint that all liberals make. America has too many prisoners as well as the highest incarceration rate in the world.

All government levels spend roughly $200 billion, and actually that’s a deal. What liberals never consider is how much the cost of crime is in terms of property damage, lower productivity and not to mention lives lost and traumatized. It’s that other side of the coin adage that always fails to grip them.

From a liberal’s perspective, the money is just a huge waste especially since criminals can’t vote for Democrats. For them, it’s a potential constituency that’s already governmentally supported. Now, liberals want to early release many and bring back the good old days of the 70’s with the revolving prison doors and the high crime rates that came with them.

An alarming prospect since it’s an “urban myth” that America imprisons vast numbers of harmless dope smokers. In fact, violent offenses are over half the prison population. Less than one-half percent are in due to simple marijuana possession, and in those cases the average catch was 100 pounds.

According to the Bureau of Justice, of all drug convictions only 3 percent were for possession. 91 percent were for drug trafficking. Still, liberals have decided that legalizing marijuana is priority number one.

Finally, Webb finds the race composition in America’s prisons alarming as well. For example, black males that don’t finish high school have a 60% chance of imprisonment, and if they have, it’s 30%. Worst of all is that in either case a black male has a 12% chance of ending up in the worst outcome of them all: the US military.